Forever Starts Tonight
by ehee
Summary: The 5th installment in the As Sookie Turns saga, follows My Forever Lover. Sookie's POV. One-shot.


**A/N** - Here's the next installment for your reading pleasure! I hope you enjoy it. Sookie's POV this time. My beta is in Spain (lucky girl) so I'm afraid you're at my mercy here. Please forgive any typos or grammatical errors.

As always, the characters belong to Ms. Harris. I'm just borrowing them because it's so much fun!

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_I am drowning, my body weighted down by the pressure of what feels like hundreds of feet of water. I can't move. I can't breathe. I can't scream for help. _

_I am dying._

_A strong hand grabs my arm and hauls me upward. As I rise through the icy depths, the pressure on my body lessens and I am able to move my legs. I furiously kick my feet in an effort to reach the surface, knowing salvation waits there for me. Inch by inch, foot by foot, aided by the strong hand pulling me along, I miraculously maintain my composure until I breach the surface..._

The first thing I was able to do was open my eyes. I stared blindly at nothing as the horror of my drowning dream replayed in vivid Technicolor in my head. Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, the blur of shapeless color that was before my eyes morphed into the most beautiful face I had ever known. "Eric?" I croaked out a whisper, but the voice didn't sound like mine.

"I am here, lover," came his soft reply. "I am here."

I felt so relieved I wanted to cry, but I couldn't remember how. His voice, with its warm baritone, was like a beacon of light on a moonless night.

I managed to reach for him and my hand was enveloped in the comforting familiarity of his. Strengthened by his presence, I struggled to sit upright. I felt his steadying hand on my back as he managed to slip behind me so I could recline against his strong chest. His arms went around me, wrapping me in his protective cocoon like he had done countless times in the past.

We lay together, neither of us moving. I felt a familiar tug at the fringes of my mind and I knew he was testing our bond. _Merciful God in Heaven, it was still there._ That had been one of our biggest concerns with my coming over.

As the tranquil silence enveloped us, I was overcome by an overpowering sense of hunger, the likes of which I had never before experienced. I concentrated on forcing it back inside me, but I didn't have the strength or the willpower. I knew I should say something to Eric before it overwhelmed me completely and I really lost it.

I swallowed hard and tried to find my voice. "Eric?" I managed to sputter.

"Yes, lover?" he replied.

"Um, Eric I'm...uh...hungry."

He broke out laughing, which made me pissed and hurt my feelings. "Of course you are, dear one. I am surprised it took you this long to come to that realization."

I still couldn't believe he was laughing at me. I had no clue how this was all supposed to play out. Once Eric had agreed to turn me, the process just started. We didn't discuss the mechanics of it beforehand. I had been too anxious to get on with it.

"Don't laugh at me." I tried to make my new voice sound harsh and scolding. "I'm still trying to figure out what's going on here."

He just hugged me closer. "Lover, I am not laughing at you," he teased. "I laugh because for the first time since we met I can finally relax and just enjoy being with you. No more fretting over your fragile human body. It is quite liberating, actually."

He leaned his face around to mine and did that crazy eyebrow waggling thing he knows I love so much. "I am now at liberty to show you a whole new facet of my gracious plenty." His trademark leer suggested I was in for a real education.

I gave the side of his head a good pop with my hand. _'That's just for being you, Northman,'_ I silently chided him.

The ravenous hunger I was feeling was suddenly replaced by hunger of a different nature. I grabbed the back of Eric's neck and, using my newfound vampire strength, I pulled his head around so my lips could reach his. His mouth felt amazing against mine. His lips were still familiarly firm, but I no longer noticed their coolness.

Keeping my mouth locked on his, I shifted around to face him. Just when things really started to heat up, I felt a popping sensation in my mouth that scared the daylights out of me. After a second I realized my new fangs had run out, fueled by the lust I was feeling in myself and from the bond. I ran my tongue over the tips to see how they felt. It was like I was playing dress-up at Halloween. The thought made me feel silly, and I grinned wildly.

"Unbelievable." It was all I could think of to say. I rubbed the surface of a fang with the tip of my finger. It was smooth as silk. I traced the outline of the tip but pressed too hard and pierced the skin of my finger. I watched in fascination as a pearl of blood oozed out of the small cut. It didn't take but a couple of seconds before the scent of the blood found its way to my nose. Suddenly I felt like I hadn't eaten in a month. The hunger was maddening. My vision blurred and a dizzying, sickening feeling overtook me. The room started reeling and I felt like a boat floundering in a hurricane.

Eric took my hand and helped me out of bed. "Come, lover, you must feed," he said. His voice sounded like it was coming from the bottom of a well.

I let him lead me past the security doors and into the kitchen. He took two bottles from a box and put them in the microwave to warm. When they were done, he handed a bottle to me. I couldn't focus enough to make out the label, but I could tell for sure it wasn't TrueBlood.

The warm scent coming from the bottles was dizzyingly intoxicating, but I managed to raise my bottle to Eric's. "To you, my forever lover," he whispered, his bright blue eyes locked on mine. "Welcome."

I put the bottle to my lips to sample a taste. It was putrid – salty and coppery, not at all like the thick, sweet vampire blood I had tasted so many times. But once the sip made its way to my stomach, need overwhelmed me and I finished the entire bottle in half a dozen swallows.

Amusement flashed in Eric's eyes as he watched me lower the bottle from my mouth. I grimaced and my body shuddered with the revulsion of what I had just done. I guess deep down I knew it would be like this, but it sure was going to take getting used to.

With a full bottle of Royalty in me, I started to feel a little better. The maddening hunger was tamed down to a gnawing need for more, but it was something I could handle.

I thought about the words of Eric's toast. "Forever lover..." I rolled the words around on my tongue "...I like the sound of that." I smiled up at him and the love and pride I saw in his eyes nearly crushed my undead heart.

Eric stepped closer and pulled me into his arms. His mouth came down on mine, parting my lips with his tongue. In no time my libido was up and my fangs were down, and so were his. It felt awkward at first, two sets of fangs dueling for supremacy, but soon we found a rhythm and it was like heaven.

After a couple of minutes, Eric broke away and turned toward the carton of what I now recognized was Royalty. _'My lord, that must have cost him an arm and a leg,'_ I cringed inwardly.

"You should drink at least two more of these tonight, lover," he advised. "It is very important you do not become undernourished these first few nights."

_Ick_. "Okay, I'll heat up another one," I grimaced as I obliged him. Maybe if I held my nose and drank it real fast...

Eric sensed my squeamishness and laughed. "Oh, you are a rare treat, lover! In all my days I have never seen a vampire turn up their nose at Royalty. Just wait until you _really_ feed."

"I don't want to talk about that right now," I shot back icily. The microwave dinged and retrieved my meal. I turned the bottle up and downed half of it without stopping. The warm liquid coated my tongue with its salty metallic taste and I wondered if I would ever acquire a taste for it. "This doesn't taste anything like your blood," I pouted. "Why couldn't I just feed from you for a while?"

Eric laughed again. "Dear one, vampire blood will not sustain you – you must have human blood. Besides, I fear you would drain me dry in less than a day. You will require a great deal of blood these next few weeks. I have a dozen cases of Royalty to get you started. After that, well, we shall see."

"You're right, we shall see," I snorted back. A dozen cases of Royalty should last until I could come up with something. My brain told me I was no longer mortal, but my heart certainly felt like I still was and I just couldn't picture myself chowing down on some innocent human. Besides, one thing I knew about vampires was that feeding and sex were closely intertwined, and it creeped me out to think of being intimate with anyone but Eric. And I sure as hell didn't want him being with anyone but me.

But what was Eric going to do now if he couldn't feed from me? That thought hit me like a ton of bricks. And how would I feed? We couldn't survive on Royalty forever.

Eric once again sensed my uneasiness. His arms went around me and he nuzzled his face in my hair. "Do not worry, lover. I am sure I can find a few tricks in my bag when the time comes."

I put my arms around Eric's waist and leaned into him. He was my pillar of strength, my Rock of Gibraltar, and I trusted him to find an answer for us.

Eric's hands began moving up and down my back, tracing my sides and groping my bottom. "Speaking of bags of tricks, I believe there are a few new ones involving my gracious plenty that I promised to show you."

I reached up and traced the outline of his bottom lip with my tongue. "Yes, I believe you did," I leered back at him.

He took my hand and led me toward the master suite. We passed through the security doors and into the bedroom. The locks had barely clicked home before I was grabbed in Eric's crushing embrace and his lips ground into mine with an intensity I had never seen from him before.

He scooped me up and carried me to the bed, his lips never leaving mine. In a matter of seconds he managed to rid both of us of our clothes, leaving nothing but scraps of fabric fluttering around the room. _'Wow, that was intense,'_ I thought to myself.

Then his hands were all over me, anywhere and everywhere at the same time – in my hair, down my back, on my breasts, between my legs...caressing and stroking with speed I would never have been able to keep up with as a mortal. Strangely enough, it didn't seem fast to my acute vampire senses. It felt, well..._normal_.

I was a little taken aback at first, but I just relaxed and let Eric lead me. He continued his assault on my senses, kissing, touching, stroking until I felt like I was going to burst into flames right there on the bed.

I was nearing what felt like was going to be the most intense orgasm I ever had, when Eric positioned himself between my legs and thrust into me with a raw power that before tonight would have crushed my pelvic bones. He was relentless as he pounded into me, but the experience was amazing. The depth of the lust flowing between us through the bond quickly overwhelmed us, bringing us both to our release at the same time. Eric threw his head back and yelled something in a language I didn't understand, straining until the veins stood out in his neck.

After he emptied himself inside me, Eric collapsed on my chest, his full weight pressing me deep into the mattress. Before tonight, I would have been unable to breathe from the pressure. That was something we didn't need to worry about now, and the sensation was oddly comforting.

I wrapped my arms and legs around him as we lay there, spent and glowing with the aftershocks. I had never seen Eric so wild, so unbridled. I realized how much he must have been holding back all these years, just so he wouldn't hurt me, and a twinge of guilt pinched my heart.

"I'm sorry, Eric," I whispered in his ear.

Eric raised his head and looked at me in surprise. "Why would you be sorry, my love? You were incredible! I am the one who should apologize. I fear I may have gotten carried away by your essence. I have never before experienced a mixture of fairy and vampire." His deep blue eyes filled with concern. "You are not injured?"

"Of course I'm not hurt," I assured him. "_I_ thought _you_ were incredible. It's just...well...I had no idea it could be like that – that intense – and I feel bad because I know how much you have been holding back all this time, just so I wouldn't get hurt. It doesn't seem fair."

Eric's eyes crinkled with his smile and his lips brushed mine in a gentle kiss. "Dear one, I would not trade the time we have spent together for a thousand lifetimes. The memories of each moment with you are locked away in my heart, and I plan on savoring each and every one of them. And the beauty of it is, we have the prospect of countless nights to make new ones. I shall savor each of those, as well."

_Countless nights_...God, he could be so romantic sometimes. The dichotomy that was Eric Northman never ceased to amaze me. Badass vampire and tender lover, all wrapped up in one breathtakingly gorgeous package. And he was all mine.

I was unbelievably blessed.

Eric rolled onto his back and I nestled into the crook of his shoulder. "Does anyone know about me yet?" I asked timidly. I knew I had been unconscious (read: dead) for the past three days and had no idea what had transpired during that time.

"Pam knows," Eric replied. "She has been running Fangtasia in my absence. She also ordered the Royalty for us."

"What do you mean 'in your absence?'" Eric never stayed away from the bar unless something really important was happening.

"My lover, I never left your side while you slept. I kept in touch with Pam by phone, but I was always here with you." He hugged me close and sent waves of comfort through the bond.

"Will she be here tonight?" I asked hopefully.

"If you wish, she can be here after Fangtasia closes," Eric replied. "I can call her now and tell her. She has been anxious to see you."

"Thanks, that would be great," I hugged his chest.

I couldn't explain why, but I had a burning need to see Pam. It felt almost like she and I were now related. After all, we were both Eric's children, even though I was more to him than just his child. _'My lord,'_ I thought to myself as the realization hit home. _'I have a sister now.'_

I just hoped Pam would feel the same way about me.


End file.
